1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of cooking appliances and, more particularly, to a cooking appliance including a downdraft system and a grilling unit including a grilling surface and a plurality of support members which serve to shield an electric resistive-type heating element from airflow currents created by operation of the downdraft system.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the art of cooking appliances, it is known to utilize a grilling surface supported above heating elements for the purpose of cooking various foodstuffs, for example: steak, fish, vegetables and the like. Over the course of time, several problems have been identified in connection with the operation of such grills. For instance, fats and oils dripping from the cooked foods can damage the heating coil and, in addition, produce quantities of smoke, grease and other airborne by-products which contaminate the cooking area.
The need to protect the heating elements in an electric grill is recognized in the prior art, at least with respect to portable electric grilling units. Inventors have developed several techniques to address these problems. For example, U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 36,464 addresses certain problems associated with fats and oils dripping onto the burner elements in portable grills. The griller is described as having a channel formed on the underside of a grill member to shield lower heating elements from dripping fat and liquids. Although this design adequately addresses the problems associated with falling debris, it fails to solve the additional problems associated with grilling in combination with a downdraft system, e.g., the production of airborne by-products associated with the grilling process, and the resulting efficiency loss created by the generation of cooling airflows.
All grilling surfaces inherently produce airborne by-products resulting from the combustion of food components. This problem is exacerbated when the grills are used indoors. For instance, airborne by-products are irritants and warrant removal from the cooking area. For that reason, downdraft fans are provided to create an air flow whereby air is drawn past the grill and ducted away from the cooking area. However, because the grill is preferably heated, at least in part, through conductive energy provided by the heating coils, the air flow created by the downdraft fans reduces the cooking efficiency, results in increased energy consumption and causes the food to cook unevenly.
The airflow which draws away the airborne by-products, also passes the exposed surfaces of the heating elements, thereby reducing their temperature. It is therefore desirable to shield the heating elements from the airflow, while maintaining contact between the heating elements and the grilling surface. Accordingly, there still exists a need in the art of cooking appliances for a grilling system which protects the heating elements from the efficiency losses caused by convective cooling, while also protecting the heating elements from dripping by-products.
The present invention is directed to a grilling grate system for cooking appliances incorporating a downdraft fan unit, wherein the grilling grate system is configured to effectively shield one or more heating elements from the air flow generated by the downdraft fan unit. More particularly, the cooking appliance is provided with a downdraft grill system including a grilling grate defining a cooking zone. The grilling grate includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion is defined by a plurality of support members that define a grilling surface and the lower portion is formed with a plurality of conductive heat members. The conductive heat members have elongated side portions which extend past leg portions of the heating element(s) in order to cloak the heating element(s) and minimize the effects of the airflow generated by the downdraft fan unit. With this arrangement, the conductive heat members are able to provide a more efficient means of energy transfer to the grilling surface.
During a cooking operation, air is drawn through slots defined in the grilling surface, whereby smoke and other air laden cooking by-products are conducted away from the cooking zone. As air is drawn through the slots, it is forced passed the leg portions of the electric heating element(s). In the past, the airflow passing the heating element(s) would lower the surface temperature of the heating element(s) through convective cooling, thereby resulting in reduced cooking efficiency. The cloaking grill grate of the present invention effectively increases the heating efficiency of the cooktop grill by protecting the electric heating element(s) from the detrimental effects of the cooling airflow produced by the downdraft system. Through the use of the present invention, as described herein, the air currents generated by the downdraft fan unit are directed around the elongated side portions of the conductive heat members, such that the side portions function to shield or cloak the leg portions of the heating element(s) from contact with the airflow, thereby minimizing the cooling effect produced by the airflow. Concurrently, the heating element(s) is protected from liquid by-products dripping thereon.
Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the several views.